


Goodwill

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Christmas, Fluffy Ending, Gen, Holiday Blues, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 20:52:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8938687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: Eve is feeling a little down this week.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dkwilliams](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dkwilliams/gifts).



> Since there is no Christmas-specific ep in season 2, I’m setting this after ep 4 (And the Cost of Higher Education) because ep 4 was the Christmas one in season 1.

Eve sighed and slumped down in her seat. Her usually neat desk was currently covered in the remains of "Stumpy," which Ezekiel had insisted on bringing back to the Library for a proper burial. After the good work he had done in distracting the tentacle demon, she hadn't the heart to tell him no.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he had looked at her like a kid who'd lost his puppy, reminding her of the loom-verse version of him who had treated her like a mom. Absolutely nothing. Nor did it have anything to do with the loss of her own childhood dog. Not at all.

Brushing aside a few pieces of "Stumpy," Eve rested her elbows on her desk and let her head fall into her palms. She might not have had the heart to tell him not to bring back the pieces of "Stumpy", but if he didn't clear them off of her desk by the end of today she was going to have a stern talk with him.

Eve sighed and rubbed her palms across her eyes; she really needed to get some more sleep and get rid of these nightmares. This had been the worst kind of case for her; all of those young lives almost blinked out of existence, and none of them even realized it! These weren't scientists working on dangerous projects. They weren't shady businessmen lying about their money-making schemes. They weren't super-competitive cutthroat tiger moms. These were just poor college kids trying to get an education, who did nothing to bring this doom onto themselves.

Well, Lucy did a bit, but her experiment would never have opened that rift if the school hadn't been built like a demon magnet by a crazy man and been chock full of arrogant people. Honestly she just wanted to scoop up the entire school and tuck it away in the library, so no other students wold run afoul of it in the future. Maybe then she'd stop having nightmares about that tentacle monster coming back and scooping up some other innocent kid.

These cases, with such high numbers of innocent potential victims, always made Eve wonder how many more apocalypses they didn't hear about in time. How many other young lives would get snuffed out while they were busy somewhere else? Cases like this just made Eve feel old and tired. More than just hanging around young people like Cassandra and Ezekiel made her feel.

And it didn't help that her birthday was coming; that was an occasion guaranteed to make her feel even older.

"Someone looks like they're running a little low on goodwill," a voice interrupted Eve's misery.

"How could you tell?" She grumbled, refusing to look up at Jenkins.

"Oh come now, Colonel Baird, even your usual disdain for this season is a little excessive tonight."

"Well I'm in mourning for Stumpy," she replied, hoping to get Jenkins back to muttering about how he had warned Ezekiel not to make eye contact with the gargoyles. Anything to keep him from probing into her feelings.

"Nice try, Colonel Baird," Jenkins replied smugly. "But you forget that I'm slightly more observant than your little Librarian fledglings. Despite this case, I have not forgotten what day it is."

"It's the day before Christmas Eve!" Cassandra yelled, running into the Annex. "We forgot to decorate!"

"Yes you did!" Jenkins cheered sarcastically.

"Between Prospero and reconnecting with the Library and meeting Stone's family and now the Wexler case the other day we completely forgot to decorate!" Cassandra continued. "Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and we forgot!"

"That's fine!" Eve mumbled. "There's no need!"

"Colonel Baird, I thought we fixed this downer problem of yours last Christmas!" Ezekiel said, bounding down the stairs. "I've got the boxes of decorations!"

Far be it for her to pour salt in a wound, but he had started it. Eve sat up and glared at Ezekiel. "You were pretty down this week too," she pointed out, waving at the remains on her desk.

"Stumpy!" Ezekiel cried.

"Get it off my desk!" Eve snapped back. "I finally got this thing off of Flynn's setting and cleaned up. If you haven't cleaned it up again by the end of the day, _I_ will."

Ezekiel dropped the tubs of decorations and raced towards her desk. "Don't listen to her Stumpy! I'll take care of you!" he crooned to the dismembered stone head.

Eve shook her head when she realized that the thought of him talking to a dismembered stone head didn't even phase her anymore. "Just do it. And Cassandra, can you try to be a _little_ less boisterous while you decorate?"

She nodded excitedly. "I can do that!"

Suddenly, with a burst of energy, the back door opened, and a chill wind swirled snow through the annex. "I've got the tree!" Stone yelled, dragging a huge snow-covered fir tree through the door. Ezekiel immediately abandoned the remains of Stumpy and rushed to help Stone with the tree.

"Just get it more calmly," Eve signed. So much for the peace and quiet she had been enjoying before.

"Don't worry; we haven't forgotten about you!" Stone said cheerfully. "The cake's on order through a different door!"

"I'll have Paris back on line for you as soon as you've closed the door to Tacoma, Mister Stone!" Jenkins replied cheerfully. Eve turned to stare at him; she had never heard Jenkins sound so un-sarcastically happy.

"What are you playing at, Jenkins?" She asked.

"Playing at? Absolutely nothing, Colonel," he replied smugly.

Eve smirked. "Oh, keep your secrets, Jenkins; I'll figure them out."

"You'll try, Colonel," he smirked back.

\---

Two mornings later, Eve woke up energized, cheerful, and full of goodwill towards all - even Jenkins. That 180 would have been strange enough, if not for the dream she had had, of a visit from Nick.

"Apparently, my goodwill well has been refilled," she announced to Jenkins as she entered the Annex.

"Santa has a way of doing that," Jenkins replied cheerfully.

Eve sat at her pristine, organized desk, and accepted the cup of coffee Jenkins offered. "You knew I was feeling low and going to get a top up on Christmas Eve," she confirmed.

"It tends to happen," He agreed.

"Mmm." Eve took a deep sip of her coffee. "That reminds me; we never did talk about the fact that you're the one that sent us on the Santa mission, not the Clippings Book."

Jenkins froze, his voice raising half an octave as he again claimed, "Coincidence."

Eve smirked. "Still not buying that."

Their eyes met, and both began to chuckle. "Merry Christmas, Colonel Baird."

"Merry Christmas, Sir Jenkins."


End file.
